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War! What is it good for? Pt. IV: Toys and games
Over the course of history, war is undeniably one of the main drivers of innovation. Countless consumer goods, technologies and medical procedures stem from conflict or its aftermath.
In my previous articles, I treated medical science, food and beverages, and fashion. In part IV, we’ll take a look at which games and toys were inspired by warfare. For some the connection is obvious, while others are merely by-products of research.
This article is far from exhaustive as I included only a few notable board games and I left out video games and sports altogether.
The items listed below have a long history that seems distant and only factual, while some highlights have a past that is more recent and, for some, very personal.
To illustrate with an anecdote, I’ve had the chance of taking a historic war tour in Zagreb, Croatia, where the guide told us about his experiences in the Balkan wars of the 90s.
In a bomb shelter that had been converted to a museum, one of most the gripping artefacts was this sticker book published by a brand of chocolate. As our guide put it: “a child should not be familiar…
